It was 1940 and the Nazis were closing in on the harbour town of Narvik in northern Norway.

the evacuation of Allied troops, had been successfully completed, but the fate of the 5000 civilians left behind bothered him.

The 27-year-old's commanding officer had no doubts – the task was too complex and the risks too great. None of his troops could risk their life on such a reckless mission.

But Dalzel-Job was equally certain, and it was his yachting skills and knowledge of Norwegian waters that led to his assignment there in the first place.

Using his language skills, he mobilised a fleet of 200 local fishing boats, and commanded the extraordinary rescue of 5000 people. It saved their lives – the next day, a Luftwaffe bombing raid destroyed the town.

Working for Ian Fleming as part of his legendary top secret wartime intelligence unit 30 Assault Unit, Iain's rebellious and courageous father is now widely recognised as a key real-life inspiration for the fictitious James Bond .

"He was a very good skier," chuckles Iain, "but I don't know whether he could ski backwards."

What is certain is that Patrick was also an accomplished ski-jumper, parachutist, a diver and a safe-blower,

Lt Cdr Patrick Dalzel-Job RNVR sought to distance himself from the James Bond character stating that he had never read the books or watched the films. He also firmly stated that he was never a womaniser and that he had only loved one woman...his wife. However, it is highly likely that some of PDJ's skills were in the mindset of Fleming when he created Bond in 1952 - first published in 1953.

Historians and authors have consitently agreed that Bond was a montage, a medley of characters that Fleming had met over the course of his life time and then interwoven their traits - good and bad - into his stories. Indeed, even Fleming admitted that Bond was derived not from one person, but rather a combimnation of characters.

Significant others could be: Valentine Fleming (his father) Peter Fleming (his brother), Wilfred Dunderdale, Fitzroy Maclean, Agent Zig-Zag etc. It would be fair to conclude that anyone ever associated with Fleming could have played a part in the creation of Bond and associated baddies.

By the time he died in 2003, aged 90, Lieutenant Commander Dalzel-Job was more open about his 007 link.

At one time, he was reported to have said: "I was Bond, it's true. I worked with Ian Fleming and we led Marines through enemy lines to obtain vital intelligence. He told me he had used me as a model for the heroic Mr Bond."